Iodine tablets in Slovenia: who gets them and when to take them

Short answer. In Slovenia, residents within 10 km of the Krško nuclear power plant (NEK) keep potassium iodide (KI) tablets at home, as do organisations there where more than 50 people stay daily ¹⁷. Elsewhere, state stocks for residents up to age 40 are held in hospitals and handed out only after a government decision and a Civil Protection order ¹⁷. KI 65 mg tablets are prescription-only medicines ⁵⁶. Never take them on your own initiative ³.

Who keeps iodine tablets at home in Slovenia?

"Tablete KJ imajo prebivalci naselij v polmeru 10 km okrog NEK doma" — residents of settlements within 10 km of NEK have KI tablets at home ¹. Pre-distribution in that zone covers ¹:

• households;
• schools and kindergartens;
• organisations where more than 50 people stay every day.

Intervention staff nationwide also hold tablets ¹⁷. Residents of the zone collect their tablets in local pharmacies in the Posavje region, presenting their health insurance card ⁷.

What happens outside the 10 km zone?

Outside the zone, KI tablets are part of the state commodity reserves, stored in hospitals and other health organisations ¹. They are distributed under the distribution plans only after a prior government decision and an order by the Civil Protection commander ¹⁷. The stock is sized for residents up to age 40 ¹. URSJV proposes iodine prophylaxis; the Civil Protection commander orders it ¹.

Who should take potassium iodide, and who should not?

The product named in the September 2025 leaflet is "Kalijev jodid Lek 65 mg tablete" ³. Kalijev jodid SERB and Kalijev jodid G.L. Pharma 65 mg tablets are also authorised ⁶. Protection lasts 24 to 36 hours after intake ³. Follow the dosing instructions given by the authorities and on the leaflet; this page does not replace them.

When should I take the tablets?

Only when the authorities order it. The 2025 leaflet is explicit: "Ne jemljite jih preventivno ali na lastno pobudo!" — do not take them preventively or on your own initiative ³. Our guides on potassium iodide and nuclear plant zones explain why timing matters.

Can I buy potassium iodide at a Slovenian pharmacy?

In the medicines register, KI is prescription-only. KI 65 mg tablets are authorised medicines, and the Central Medicines Database lists every pack of the Lek, SERB and G.L. Pharma tablets with the dispensing rule "Rp - Predpisovanje in izdaja zdravila je le na recept": prescription and dispensing on prescription only ⁵⁶.

The KI regulation adds a separate route. Article 3(3) says that residents may, at any time and at their own request, collect KI tablets from pharmacies on presenting the health insurance card of the person who will take them ⁷: "lahko prebivalci kadarkoli na lastno željo prevzamejo tablete kalijevega jodida v lekarnah ob predložitvi kartice zdravstvenega zavarovanja končnega prejemnika". The official gazette text read is the 2010 original; the 2025 consolidated text on a non-official legal database keeps this paragraph ⁴⁷. A 2022 Ministry of Health notice says pharmacies hold commercial KI stocks besides the state reserve ². Ask your pharmacist how the collection works in practice.

How will I know an iodine order has been given?

People around Krško are warned by the immediate-danger siren, then radio and television, and SI-ALARM in the directly threatened area ¹. See alerts. If you are told to shelter, our guide on radiation decontamination covers what to do on arriving indoors.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a prescription for potassium iodide in Slovenia?

The tablets are registered as prescription-only medicines ⁵⁶. The KI regulation also lets residents collect them from pharmacies on request with the recipient's health insurance card ⁷.

I live in Ljubljana. Should I have tablets at home?

The home pre-distribution covers the 10 km zone around NEK ¹. Outside it, tablets come from state reserves in hospitals after an official order ¹.

How long does one dose protect?

24 to 36 hours after intake, according to the 2025 leaflet ³.

Why are people over 40 excluded?

The official leaflet recommends KI only for people under 40 ³. The state reserve outside the zone is sized for residents up to age 40 ¹.

Who decides to distribute tablets?

URSJV proposes iodine prophylaxis; the Civil Protection commander orders it, after a government decision for the state reserves ¹.

Sources

1. GOV.SI / Uprava RS za jedrsko varnost (URSJV) — Jedrske in radiološke nesreče — https://www.gov.si/teme/jedrske-in-radioloske-nesrece/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. GOV.SI / Ministrstvo za zdravje, Uprava RS za varstvo pred sevanji — Informacija o kalijevem jodidu — https://www.gov.si/novice/2022-03-03-informacija-o-kalijevem-jodidu/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. URSZR / Ministrstvo za zdravje, Lekarniška zbornica Slovenije, NEK — Kdaj naj uporabim tablete kalijevega jodida? (zgibanka, september 2025) — https://www.gov.si/assets/organi-v-sestavi/URSZR/Publikacija/Zgibanke/zgibanka_kalijev_jodid_2025.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Tax-Fin-Lex (non-official consolidation of the Uradni list RS text) — Pravilnik o uporabi tablet kalijevega jodida ob jedrski ali radiološki nesreči (Uradni list RS 59/10, 17/14, 24/25), consolidated text — https://tax-fin-lex.si/Dokument/Podrobnosti/45749273-fe1f-4d48-99e2-2d00eefaf8e1 (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Centralna baza zdravil (Ministrstvo za zdravje, JAZMP, ZZZS, NIJZ) — Kalijev jodid Lek 65 mg tablete (škatla z 2 tabletama) — https://www.cbz.si/cbz/bazazdr2.nsf/o/AE1B6C04EE3CCDB9C125804F0083142F?opendocument (accessed 2026-10-21)
6. Centralna baza zdravil (Ministrstvo za zdravje, JAZMP, ZZZS, NIJZ) — Centralna baza zdravil: rezultati iskanja 'kalijev jodid' — https://www.cbz.si/cbz/bazazdr2.nsf/Search?SearchView&Query=kalijev%20jodid (accessed 2026-10-21)
7. Uradni list Republike Slovenije (read from the Wayback Machine copy of 29 June 2022) — Pravilnik o uporabi tablet kalijevega jodida ob jedrski ali radiološki nesreči (Uradni list RS, št. 59/2010) — https://www.uradni-list.si/glasilo-uradni-list-rs/vsebina/2010-01-3291 (accessed 2026-10-21)